JusticeInfo reports on the two-day testimony of CIJA Director for Investigations and Operations before the Higher Regional Court in Koblenz and discussed the significance of CIJA-secured linkage evidence in the investigation of Anwar Ruslan.

Read More: Syrian trial in Germany: The orders that came from the very top - JusticeInfo.net

CIJA’s director of operations and investigations Chris Engels, testified as an expert and fact witness in the case of Anwar Raslan, former Syrian regime official on trial in Koblenz. During a two-day testimony, CIJA testified on structures of the regime security intelligence agencies and issues specific to the accused’s role as chief of interrogations in branches 285 and 251 of the General Intelligence Directorate. The testimony was based on CIJA’s investigative and analytical work in Syria since 2012 during which over one million pages of evidence were collected. In 2017 CIJA compiled a case file pertaining to Raslan’s criminal responsibility, updating it in 2018 and sharing it with German authorities. The cooperation on the case continued in the lead up to Raslan’s arrest in 2019 and his start of trial in April this year. CIJA’s testimony relied on documents and testimony of insider witnesses. A number of documents, including those bearing the accused’s signature, were handed over to the Koblenz court.

CIJA’s investigative work in Syria and Iraq has already led to a number of convictions in European and US courts. CIJA continues supporting over 30 law enforcement agencies in 13 countries in their investigative work regarding Syrian regime and Da’esh perpetrators having answered over 500 requests for assistance pertaining to 1000 persons of interests in the last five years.

The research paper by Sama Nassar of Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights and Iavor Rangelov of the London School of Economics assesses the ongoing effort to document human rights violations committed in Syria and considers the role of CIJA in furthering criminal-justice accountability.

Read More: Documenting_HR_and_TJ_in_Syria_updated_Nov2020.pdf (lse.ac.uk)

Mansour Omari writes about the work of CIJA Syria investigators in collecting evidence now made available in criminal trials, such as the one against Anwar Ruslan in Koblenz, Germany.

Read More: Countless Brave Syrian Activists Made The Koblenz Torture Trial Possible | Campaigns blog | 12 Oct 2020 | Amnesty International UK

CIJA’s Annual Report 2019 – 2020 highlights our effort to support the prosecution of members of the Syrian Regime and IS through independent investigations to collect and prevent the loss of vital evidence.

CIJA Director Nerma Jelacic sits down with the hosts of Asymmetrical Haircuts to talk about the CIJA Model of investigations and how it is assisting law enforcement agencies and international justice bodies pursuing accountability for core international crimes.

Read More: Episode 28 – Private Investigations with Nerma Jelacic – asymmetrical haircuts

Foreign Affairs examines how evidence of mass atrocity in Syria, including that secured by CIJA, led to the adoption of the US Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act (2019).

Read More: How U.S. Sanctions Can Crack the Syrian Regime | Foreign Affairs

Harper’s Magazine reports on the search of former ranking officers of the Syrian regime suspected of crimes against humanity in Europe and details CIJA’s assistance to war crimes units across the continent.

Read More: [Letter from Germany] In Plain Sight, By Annie Hylton | Harper's Magazine

The widespread and systematic use of sexual and gender-based violence is a defining feature of the Syria and Iraq conflicts. CIJA Senior Advisor on sexual and gender-based violence, Stephanie Barbour, has contributed to a Special Issue of the Journal of International Criminal Justice dedicated to this critical theme entitled Justice and Accountability for Sexual Violence in Conflict: Progress and Challenges in National Efforts to Address Impunity. The expert contribution offers an unprecedented look at CIJA’s pioneering work on documenting and investigating sexual offences committed by the Syrian military and security apparatus and Islamic State. An invaluable resource for international justice practitioners, the article examines CIJA’s case-building strategy and outlines some of the innovations, good practices and lessons learned in response to challenges arising in sexual offence investigation, such as socio-cultural barriers to effective investigation of SGBV, the risk of creating SGBV silos, and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of national investigators.

The Special Issue – jointly presented by the Journal of International Criminal Justice and the UN Team of Experts on Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict – is published in commemoration of the tenth-year anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1888 (2009), which established the UN Team of Experts.

Reference: Stephanie Barbour, “Supporting Accountability for Sexual Violence in the Syria and Iraq Conflicts: Innovations, Good Practices, and Lessons Learned through Private Criminal Investigations”, Journal of International Criminal Justice, Volume 18, Issue 2, May 2020, Pages 397–423.

Granted access to evidence amassed by CIJA, Associated Press maps the system of slavery
implemented by Islamic State following its assault on Iraq’s Yazidi community in August
2014. CIJA’s investigations have identified 49 prominent IS figures involved in establishing
and managing the group’s heinous operation.

Alleged Syrian war criminals face landmark trial in Germany

As covered by CNN, evidence compiled by CIJA is being relied upon at a landmark trial in Germany against Colonel Anwar Raslan, the first case being brought against a senior member of the Syrian regime. Indicted alongside Ayad al-Ghareeb, Raslan is accused of overseeing the torture of at least 4,000 prisoners before he fled Syria for Europe in late 2012.

European cases to test the reach of prosecuting Syria war crimes

If a Torturer Switches Sides, Does He Deserve Mercy?

Repatriating Foreign Fighters from Syria: International Law and Political Will